246 HUNTING TRIPS 



One day one of my cowboys and myself 

 were returning from an unsuccessful hunt, 

 about nightfall, and were still several miles 

 from the river, when a couple of yearling 

 black-tails jumped up in the bed of the dry 

 creek down which we were riding. Our 

 horses though stout and swift were not well 

 trained; and the instant we were off their 

 backs they trotted off. No sooner were we 

 on the ground and trying to sight the deer, 

 one of which was cantering slowly off 

 among the bushes, than we found we could 

 not catch the bead sights of our rifles, the 

 outlines of the animals seeming vague, and 

 shadowy, and confounding themselves with 

 the banks and dull green sage bushes behind 

 them. Certainly six or eight shots were 

 fired, we doing our best to aim, but without 

 any effect; and when we gave it up and 

 turned to look for our horses we were an- 

 noyed to see the latter trotting off down the 

 valley half a mile away. We went after at 

 a round pace ; but darkness closed in before 

 .we had gained at all on them. There was 



